Why do you think the SF art scene isn’t taken more seriously?
I think probably because it’s so small. San Francisco is really not that big in terms of other cities like LA, New York, or Chicago. In Los Angeles there are hundreds and hundreds of galleries, in New York there are thousands, so I think San Francisco as an art community has always been smaller because there are fewer people here. San Francisco art has also been very traditional for a long time. Most of the galleries are very blue chip, very high art. Only in the last 10 years have these smaller, younger, underground galleries focusing on alternative artwork sprung up, trying to create a new art community that can compare and rival cities like LA and New York. But because of how small it is, San Francisco will never be that big — ever.

So it’s never occurred to you to open up a gallery in say, Los Angeles?
I can’t say never because I should never say never…but I’ve never thought about opening up a gallery in New York because I love San Francisco too much and could never see myself leaving it. I’ve thought about opening up a gallery in LA a couple of times before but finally decided that I didn’t want to be commuting back and forth all the time. Physically it’s too much and I don’t like being away from home that often. I love San Francisco, it’s my home and I don’t want to do anything anywhere else.

What’s the greatest challenge of being a San Francisco gallery owner/curator?
I think the biggest challenge so far has been trying to get more famous, internationally-known artists to show in San Francisco.